Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) reportedly checked himself into a hospital Wednesday night for mental health issues.
Fetterman’s Office Announces Health Issue
“Last night, Senator John Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to receive treatment for clinical depression. While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks. On Monday, John was evaluated by Dr. Brian P. Monahan, the Attending Physician of the United States Congress. Yesterday, Dr. Monahan recommended inpatient care at Walter Reed. John agreed, and he is receiving treatment on a voluntary basis,” his office said.
“After examining John, the doctors at Walter Reed told us that John is getting the care he needs, and will soon be back to himself,” the statement concluded.
The Details
The statement notes Fetterman has battled depression all of his life, but in recent weeks his depression has gotten severe.
Fetterman has indicated that when he’s under stress, trying to understand what other people are saying is like “trying to make out the muffled voice of the teacher in the ‘Peanuts’ cartoon, whose words could never be deciphered,” the report said.
Last week Sen. Fetterman was rushed to the hospital after feeling light-headed, where he was later released, and tests results showed no new strokes occurred.
Days later, after being released from the hospital, the New York Times wrote a sympathetic piece of Fetterman claiming the freshman senator hears voices.
The Struggles Are Real
Fetterman’s hospitalization comes after a rough year in which the 53 year-old suffered a stroke just ahead of the May primary election and spent much of the summer off the campaign trail, recovering.
He has said the stroke nearly killed him.
He also underwent surgery to implant a pacemaker with a defibrillator to manage two heart conditions, atrial fibrillation and cardiomyopathy, however Fetterman entered the Senate in January, where he has had to adjust to life in Washington and the daily grind of a federal lawmaker.
The U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek Murphy, tweeted praise for Fetterman, saying he hopes his “courage will serve as an example for others.” Post-stroke depression is common, doctors say. And that could be even more difficult when dealing with it publicly, like Fetterman is.
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